Students are reading less and less with the rise of online media and the development of artificial intelligence, both for enjoyment and as schoolwork. With sources such as the Nation’s Report Card reporting a major decline in reading since the COVID-19 pandemic, most fourth and eighth graders in 2024 are performing below pre-pandemic levels in reading as well as math.

Reading can be beneficial for students, not only as a form of leisure, but as education. It equips them with literacy skills that can help them in the future. The National Institute of Health reported that qualitative and quantitative research studies have shown that children who engage in voluntary reading develop positive attitudes towards reading as an activity. This type of reading has also been shown to relate positively to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. These attributes produce better workplace communication and enhance critical thinking skills, which are essential for applying for jobs in the future. Now, however, they are in jeopardy.

Teachers at LASA have noticed the decline in reading among students, especially after COVID-19. LASA English teacher Shannon Baley has observed changes in attention spans and literacy habits among students.

“I do feel like attention spans have decreased sharply since COVID,” Baley said. “It’s hard to say exactly because LASA kids are unusual, but I also taught at a small Catholic private school, and most kids were hardly reading at all. The main thing I see is issues with stamina. Kids have a hard time reading for more than like five minutes at a time before they start stopping, or getting distracted.”

Literacy Texas, a statewide coalition for adult and family literacy in Texas, has identified obstacles that prevent students from reading for fun. Executive director Jenny Walker found that students dislike reading because they struggle to recognize what texts will entertain them.

“I believe the biggest barrier young people face when it comes to reading for pleasure is finding the right genre,” Walker said. “Once someone finds something that sparks their interests, it’s easy to find books they love. After that, the biggest barrier is being intentional about making time to read.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people spent more time at home. Scrolling and using technology became a major habit, especially among younger generations. Elizabeth Switek, the librarian at LASA, believes that the main reason younger generations are reading less for pleasure is due to phones.

“I walk through H-E-B and I see toddlers on their parents’ cell phones, rather than their parents actually having a conversation with them,” Switek said. “The kids are being exposed to that quick, thirty-second format, and it’s showing. Studies are starting to show that our actual brains are being changed by this, so attention spans are being lessened, diminished.”

Technology has played a significant role in students’ literacy and reading habits, according to Baley. Parents often use online videos and games to distract their children at a young age, introducing them to consumable media early on.

“Kids are used to being fed things in small visual, auditory ways,” Baley said. “If something is more than, I’d even say a minute, it tends to lose people’s attention.”

Despite this issue among students, LASA teachers find ways to make reading more enjoyable for students. Baley finds ways to manage teaching literature with attention spans. 

“We try to chunk things, especially for freshmen,” Baley said. “We try to create interesting assignments that get kids to think more deeply and think more carefully. I try to find the most entertaining bits to read together, to kind of encourage people to keep reading.”

Outside of the classroom, Austin Public Library tries to incorporate literacy programs to encourage students to read more, as does LASA’s library. To attract visitors, however, libraries are increasingly turning to other activities, such as the LASA library’s alternatives.

“I try to have an open and welcoming library space,” Switek said. “I have a lot of what’s called passive programming out: puzzles, board games, coloring pages, crafty stuff, so you don’t have to interact with the books or any of that media. You can just be in the library. Use it as a space. It’s a third space. It’s a safe space.”

The continuing development of online technology and the COVID pandemic exacerbated usage of online media like audio and video, especially among teenagers. According to Switek, there are ways to mitigate consumption and spend less time on screens.

“Find a book that looks interesting to you,” Switek said. “Check out five from the library. Read and take them home. Read them over the weekend. Read the first paragraph, read the first page of them. Find one that you like, ask a friend for a recommendation, ask a friend what they’ve read recently that they really enjoyed, and try it out. Claw back 10 minutes out of your day, and see whether you don’t feel a little better, a little more motivated, a little happier after having read rather than scrolling on your phone.”